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Nov 24, 2009

The Edge Of The Road * USA - Critics Say Roads Still Dangerous Despite Safer Design

Traffic fatalities hit a 40-year low last year, partly due to the recession — less money can mean fewer trips — and safer cars

Washington,DC,USA -NPR, by Brian Naylor -November 24, 2009: ... Better-designed highways also played a role in reducing those road fatalities. Straightforward safety improvements such as rumble strips warn drivers that they are running onto the shoulder. Caps on the ends of roadside guard rails prevent cars from running up on them and vaulting into the air. Cable guard rails, installed on many divided highways, keep cars from crossing medians... Safety advocates say that despite all the improvements, however, the road is still a dangerous place... Gerald Donaldson, senior research director for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, says that leaving the Interstate Highway System increases the chances for accidents because "you get down to some undivided four-lane highways and two-lane two-way rural roads," which often means narrow lanes and severe curves... According to Donaldson, a two-lane rural road is six to eight times more dangerous than an interstate... (Photo by Brian Naylor/NPR - This simulator at Virginia Tech's Center for Automotive Safety Research allows engineers to test how drivers will react to changes in the road such as road signs or different pavement markings)

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